Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

I take the opportunity to wish the Minister and his team every success. As we reverse our roles for Question Time, we could have given that answer ourselves a few weeks ago so I take it no progress has been made in terms of publishing the report.

The Minister identified in his answer the difficulties these mechanisms are causing, particularly their inability to respond to changing market situations. This is one of the reasons we want to get the review up and running as quickly as possible. I am concerned that the programme for Government states, "We will reform the Joint Labour Committee structure, beginning with the appointment of independent chairpersons to JLCs, who will retain a casting vote." This seems to predetermine one of the report's major outcomes prior to it being published.

I will point the Minister to IBEC's ten-point plan. I know Fine Gael is obsessed with a five-point plan. IBEC's ten-point plan shows that one of the most objectionable aspects of the JLC, joint labour committee, system is the casting vote of a chairman. With regard to this review, has the Minister predetermined the outcome of any other issues, either on his part or by agreement with his partners in Government? Will the reforms the Minister proposes to implement be part of the so-called jobs budget due to be introduced within 100 days of the election?

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